Category: Health

A new policy that has pharmacists restricting patients to a 30-day supply of their medications means some people are having to pay dispensing fees two or three times over.

The policy was put in place to prevent drug shortages while manufacturers struggle to produce enough product during COVID-19.

But that means patients who would normally receive 90-days’ worth of prescription medications are now paying the dispensing fee three times instead of one in some provinces.

“All of a sudden they’re going to see their cost for prescriptions go up 200 per cent,” said Kathleen Finlay, the founder of the Center for Patient Protection.

In most places, those dispensing fees are between $5 and $15. But some people have multiple prescriptions, multiplying the cost, she said.

“It gets up there really quickly,” she said.

She’s particularly concerned about fixed income seniors, who are being hit with these costs out of the blue. She said some people may be faced with tough decisions about whether they can afford to renew their prescriptions when they need them.

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Some provinces, like Alberta, have adjusted their co-pay structure for seniors and those without private insurance to offset those costs, but not all.

In British Columbia, the province covers dispensing fees for many people with low incomes or high medication costs under a complex pharmacare plan.

But even there, some people are going to feel the impact of the new 30-day supply rules when they go to renew their prescriptions next month, according to the seniors’ advocate for the province.

“We knew that was a risk,” said spokesperson Barry Power, adding people may not be able to get their medications at all if nothing is done.

“We felt that avoiding drug shortages was the better way to go.”

The association has been working with governments and insurers to address the added burden on patients, he said.

“This is the cost of safeguarding Canada’s drug supply and it should be borne by Canada as a whole, not small businesses,” Power said.

Canada is already starting to see medications fall into short supply as a result of COVID-19, he said.

According to Health Canada, there are supply constraints for certain drugs like sedatives, pain relievers, and muscle relaxants.

While individual pharmacies have the discretion to waive dispensing fees if they want to, the money goes a long way to covering the pharmacy’s costs, Power said

With every prescription, the pharmacist must verify the medication and proper dose, make sure there are no adverse drug interactions, and make sure there is enough inventory, he said.

The fees also help pay for the added expenses pharmacies have borne to stay open during the pandemic. Many have installed barriers between patients and customers and hand-sanitizing stations, for example.

He said it’s important that pharmacists doing essential work are not made to cover those costs themselves, just as the government wouldn’t ask nurses or doctors to pay for their own protective equipment in a hospital.

But if provinces don’t act, he said the costs will trickle down to patients instead.

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Dr. Alex Dong doesn’t wear his wedding ring anymore when he goes to work at London Health Sciences Centre because it could become contaminated.

The only items he takes now are the essentials, like his phone and driver’s licence, which he locks safely away in a Ziploc bag that has to be sterilized before he leaves the hospital.

Once home, to keep from contaminating anyone or anything inside, he has to strip down in his garage and immediately jump into the shower.

It’s become the new normal for the emergency department physician and his colleagues at Victoria Hospital.

Similar stories are also playing out across the country as frontline medical staff, increasingly short on personal protective equipment, work to treat a growing number of COVID-19 patients, all while putting their own health — and that of their families — at risk.

No one working in Dong’s emergency department has gotten sick from COVID-19, at least not yet, Dong says. “Hopefully it stays that way.”

“The overall feeling is that this is kind of like the calm before the storm,” he says. “Overall, there’s a lot of anxiety amongst us, especially as more cases are coming in.

“For many of us, for the first time in our careers, we’re like, we’re scared to come to work.”

Ninety-two cases of COVID-19 and three deaths have been confirmed in London and Middlesex so far. Sixty-one cases and two deaths were reported just this work week.

Nineteen patients with COVID-19 were being treated at LHSC’s University and Victoria hospitals as of Friday, with 11 of those patients in intensive care.

“There’s probably a lot more cases of COVID-19 in the community than the official numbers would suggest,” Dong said. “We’re not testing everybody who comes in with symptoms. We’re telling them to self-quarantine at home and only to come back if things worsen and they need hospitalization.”

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“Something that Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said the other day is that our confirmed numbers are probably a significant underestimate of the true number of people with COVID-19. So I really don’t want people thinking, ‘oh, there’s only like, whatever, 80 cases in London. It’s not that bad.’”

LHSC itself is readying itself for a potential influx.

Plans are in the works to convert the Western Fair District Agriplex into a temporary field hospital with 180 beds that could be expanded to 500 should the need arise, the organization said Friday.

“We are not at our peak yet. We’re still seeing our numbers rising,” Dong said. “We need to be more diligent with our social distancing to flatten that curve.”

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

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A Winnipeg grocery store shut its doors Friday after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.

The Superstore on Regent Avenue was closed for what a spokesperson from a company described as a deep cleaning, and was expected to re-open Saturday.

“We were informed today that one of our colleagues tested positive for COVID-19,” the spokesperson told Global News in an email.

“We’ll be working with the local public health team, and have taken a number of steps to minimize risk, including increased sanitization protocols and enforcing social distancing practices in the store.”

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The spokesperson said the employee hadn’t been at work since March 22 and other employees they worked closely with are now at home in self-isolation, monitoring for symptoms.

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

Source: Read Full Article